Need help with a good gift for a Triumph 170cc owner!

[H. Sifder]

Hey all...

I have registered here purely to find out some opinions and ideas about what would be a good gift idea for my boyfriend. He has the 170cc with a Minn Kota trolling motor...

One thing he has mentioned but I still wouldn't know how to get the right one and what the best for his boat is a SS Prop... what is the good/bad (I searched and saw articles about driveshaft breakage instead of prop breakage??) and what would be a good bolt-on for this boat? What do they usually run? Mostly curious about recommendations for brands and/or sizes that are a best-fit.

Other things are accessories... I didn't know what was out there that maybe he didn't have. He has the bimini top, a vhf radio, a depthfinder/gps... but that's about it. Ideas??

I am looking to buy my own boat (trading in or selling my jetski 1st so I have room in the garage).. If anyone has a 17-21' boat for sale or know of one in the sub 10k range.. Let me know also!

Thanks in advance for your help!

Jessica

[PileDriver]

Since he has a trolling motor, does he have an on board charger for his batteries? I Noticed no mention of a stereo. SS prop would be nice but it really is an individual's taste so if you can figure out how to hint around without giving it away I would try it.

[H. Sifder]

He doesn't have an onboard stereo... Room is scarce on the 170... where would it go??

I don't know that he knows enough about the props other than they "get you up to speed and a plane" faster... but I usually do all the research... so brand names, etc aren't preferred... I'm more interested in what is a best-fit and what some people here have had good experiences with.

The other thing I was considering getting him after reading through some of these forums is a pressure washer... He usually comes to my house (he lives in a condo) to use the waterhose to wash the boat...but it seems that would make the job easier.

I saw these little storage things you can mount with suction cups to the side of your console... any feedback on these? We run out of room really quick for things such as the foghorn, drinks, handheld vhf....etc.

[rscott]

All I can say is WOW! Does this guy have any idea how lucky he is? I second the Onboard Charger idea if he doesn't already have one.

[H. Sifder]

Laugh.. I hope he thinks he's lucky...

So where does one find the onboard charger? I think he charges it previous to the day he goes out on the water with a trickle charger.... He has yet to exhaust the motor in pretty long days of trolling...but what do these usually run?

Thanks again for all your ideas... any more?? I want to hear several and then kind of "bring stuff up" to feel him out...

I see the little storage help things I mentioned earlier when I watch tv shows about tournament fishing but I can't seem to find them in stores or in fishing catalogues... Ideas???

Jessica

[PileDriver]

Pressure washer would be very cool, suggestion would be one of the smaller electric versions, as they are perfect for boat washdowns and you dont have to worry about having fuel around or dragging it out. This I can speak from experience, as had/have a gas model, great unit but really was a pain to pull it out all the time and listening to it so needless to say the boat didnt get cleaned with a pressure washer as often. After I bought a smaller electric one, I found it much nicer and easier to use on the boat so it gets cleaned all the time now.

As for the suction storage, not real confident they would stay in place very well.

So my vote is changed to

Pressure washer and a onboard battery charger


Adding to you request, Boatersworld has many and here is just one of them, any marine store will have them though.

http://www.boatersworld.com/product/369631189msk.htm

[H. Sifder]

What would you consider a good PSI to not go below? I don't know what is what and don't want to get something too pansy!

[PileDriver]

For an electric, I would say about 1500 psi would be fine.

[rkola]

Hi, Jessica

In your original post you mentioned getting a new prop in order to "get up to speed/plane faster" I just added a hydrofoil to my 170 DC, and it sure helps getting on plane quicker, allows me to stay on plane at slower speeds, and seem to "smooth out" the ride. I purchased mine from Bob's Machine Shop (www.bobsmachine.com), based on recommendations from this site. Total cost, including shipping, was about $62.00. It's listed on their web site as a "stabilizer plate #BT" It's one of the few add-on's that my wife commented on as being well worth the money. She was able to detect the difference in ride/performance from her usual "passenger" position. It does require installation, which consists of drilling 4 holes, but it probably took me a total of 20 minutes to get it mounted. I have also added and on-board battery charger, which is considerably more expensive (around $200 for a two output charger) and a bit more time consuming to install. Needless to say - this didn't get the same praise from my most wonderful significant other.

Ron

[cagrove]

Originally Posted by H. Sifder

So where does one find the onboard charger? I think he charges it previous to the day he goes out on the water with a trickle charger.... He has yet to exhaust the motor in pretty long days of trolling...but what do these usually run?


Jessica

Jessica,
The onboard chargers are for charging the batteries at the end of the trip...they do not charge while under way. Think of them as basically a trickle charger that doesn't have to be taken out of the boat. Once it is installed (I put one in mine under the center console) all you have to do is park your boat and run an extension cord to it. Plug it in and they charge all of your batteries. When you are ready to take the boat out, just unplug the extension cord and you're ready to go. They are a wonderful time saver!

Here's a link to some at Cabelas:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...056&hasJS=true

If all else fails, you might consider a gift card to: Boater's World, West Marine, Bass Pro Shops, or Cabelas.

Good luck!